The present invention relates to vibration dampeners, and more specifically to archery bow dampeners for torque and vibration reduction of the bow limbs and various parts of the bow.
As an arrow is released from a bow and immediately afterwards, an extreme vibration is generated in different parts of the bow. The shock is created due to the abrupt return of the limbs and the string of the archery bow to their original positions. This shock robs the arrow of energy and negatively effects the accuracy and speed. In addition, the shock effects the joints of the archer in an adverse way and may loosens components of the bow and/or shorten the life of the bow limbs.
To overcome this problem, dampeners, which were developed for non-archery applications, have been applied to archery bows for absorbing longitudinal vibrations. However, none have overcome adequately the problem of reducing torsional vibration of the limbs as well as the longitudinal vibrations. Also, the vibration mode is complicated; bow limbs tend to oscillate independently of each other resulting In a mixed vibrational mode of limbs twisting and bending simultaneously, thereby requiring multiple dampening devices.
One prior art device was designed for baseball bats, tennis rackets and other impact implements, which encompass a 360-degree arc and are normal to the longitudinal axis of the accessory. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,046. Although this device dampens vibrations fairly well, it is not as effective as a device designed to work in the same plane as the limbs of the bow.
It is an object of the present invention to dampen and absorb shocks and vibrations in limbs and other parts of the bow.
It is a further object of the present invention to control the torque of the limbs.
The objects set forth above as well as further and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved by a dampening system that dampens the vibrations generated by the limbs of the bow. The dampener maybe applied in various locations of the bow (e.g. limbs, riser, accessories, etc.), where vibration is a present The general shape of this device is a wedge or combination of wedges made of a single elastomeric material or a combination of elastomers. The device takes the form, in some preferred embodiments, of a base portion affixed to a limb and a portion suspended over the limb. There are many variations of the volume proportions of the area of the base portion that comes in direct contact with the limb end the proportion that is suspended above the limb. Also, where multiple elastomers are used the combination of different Shore hardness of the elastomers can range from 0-60. The preferred form of such a wedge device is approximately 65 mm long by 15 mm wide and 25 mm high, but dimensions can vary depending on the size and power of the bows and cross bows.
One class of preferred embodiments comprises a one-piece wedge design with the entire length of a bottom plane of the device adhered to the bow via a flexible plastic plate permanently attached to the dampener. The plate has an adhesive layer for securely attaching the device to the bow. The device can be attached to the bow by other suitable means of adhesion or fastening. Other classes of preferred embodiments include a two part construction with an inner wedge inserted into a notch of the device. Other variations within the scope of the invention include diverse uses of materials (e.g. metals and plastics) and diverse amounts of protrusion of the inner wedge.
For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects thereof, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and detailed description and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.